Coil rack



Oct. 31, 1939 N. c. SCHELLENGER COIL RACK Filed June 30, 1938 Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE GOIL RACK Application June 30, 1938, Serial No. 216,730

Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved coil rack and more particularly to racks for supporting coils of flat metal in feeding relationship to punch presses or the like.

5 It is customary to make large numbers of small parts or articles by means of punch or forming presses or the like from long strips of metal or other flexible material which is shipped and handled in the form of flat, spiral coils. Means are provided for supporting these coils adjacent the punch press or similar machine and the strip is intermittently fed to the machine. The strip usually passes through a set of straightening rolls and is drawn through these rolls and fed to the 5 machine by a feed mechanism which is interconnected with the press or similar machine, so that the strip is fed on the upstroke of the machine but is stopped during at least the latter portion of the downstroke which performs the punching 20 or forming operation.

This intermittent pull upon the strip causes difliculties when the coil is mounted on a usual type of rotatable reel. The mass of material in the coil and the mass of the reel itself are started 9 in rotation with a jerk and the mass continues to rotate after the forward pull on the end of the coil ceases. As the work progresses the coil, especially if of springy or resilient material as is usual, becomes loosely wound and spreads out. The rotatable reel does not extend around the periphery of the coil which may expand to a dangerous extent in places where other machinery is closely adjacent. The variable nature of the drag or resistance to the feed or the tendency to overrun the feed may cause difficulty in the operation of the press, or cause faulty work or loss of material.

It is an object of the present invention to pro vide a new and improved coil rack for supporting fiat coils of material.

It is a further object to provide a coil'support having no parts rotating with the coil.

It is another object to provide a coil support adapted to minimize over-running of the coil 5 stock upon withdrawal of the stock.

It is also an object to provide a coil rack wherein the coil is held in place by gravity and the weight of the coil causes frictional resistance to over-running.

5Q It is an additional object to provide a coil rack upon which a coil may be quickly installed or from which it may be quickly removed.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

55; I have shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of construction;

Figure 2 is a View of the upper portion of Fig- 5 ure 1 as seen from the left as seen from a point on a line perpendicular to the supporting plate;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view similar to the lower portion of Figure 2 but showing a modified form of construction; and 10 Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing the vertical adjustment means for the legs.

Referring first to the form of construction shown in Figures 1 and 2, the coil supporting plate i is located at an angle to the horizontal and is supported by the rear legs l2 and front legs l3. The upper edge of the plate H is turned up as shown at M, and the lower edge is similarly turned up as shown at l5. These upturned edges aid in giving the supporting plate rigidity and preventing it from bending between its supports. The plate H is provided adjacent its lower edge with a series of rollers l 6, which series is inclined downwardly toward the left edge of the plate H, as best shown in Figure 2. The vertically extending series of rollers I! are located adjacent the left-hand edge of the plate H. The rollers l6 and II are supported on shafts or pins l8 and IS, in such manner that they are free to turn.

It will be noted that there is a space between the lowermost roller of the series I l and the lefthand roller of the series I6 to permit passage of the end 20, which extends from the coil 2| of flat strip material which is supported on the plate I l The hold down bar 22 is secured to the plate I l by means of studs 23 and 24, being held on the studs by the wing nuts 25 and 26. The transverse hold down bar 21 is connected at the point 28 to the bar 22, while its other end is supported on the stud 29, being held in place by the wing nut 30.

It will be noted'that the bar 21 is offset at 3| so that the main body of the bar is located in the same plane as the hold down bar 22.

The lower ends of the supporting legs l2 and I3 are provided with slotted openings 32 and 33 adapted to receive the bolts 34 and 35. These bolts also fit in horizontally extending slots 36 and 31 formed in the angle base plate 38 which is shown as held down by means of bolts 39 and 40.

The upwardly extending lug 4| extending from 50.

lower edge 41 of the leg |3and its lower end bears against the lower flange of the base plate 38. The bolt 48 is held in adjusted position by the lock nut 49. It will be understood that all of the legs are provided with similar means for vertical adjustment. It will be apparent that by use of the adjusting means provided, the entire supporting plate and upper assembly may be adjusted laterally and vertically and also adjusted as regards the angle the plate I I makes with the horizontal.

The modified form of construction shown in Figure 3 differs from the form of construction shown in Figures 1 and 2 in that a narrow flat plate or strip 43 of wood or metal is placed upon the lower series of rollers I6 of the prior construction. This plate 43 is supported upon the rollers I6 and held in position by the upturned end of the bolt 44 which extends through an opening in the member 43. It will be noted that the plate 43 inclines downwardly toward the left and is spaced from the lowermost of the series of stop rollers IT.

The coil rack will be located adjacent the punch press or other machine which is to operate upon the coil of material as fed from the rack. The exact location and angle of the supporting plate H may be changed as may be necessary when diiferent sizes of material are used or different types of dies or of feed mechanism are used on the press. The coil of material is placed on the supporting plate in the position shown in the drawing. As will be apparent, this is accomplished by merely removing the bars 22 and 21 where the coil is large or difficulty is had in handling it. Ordinarily the coil can be readily slipped in the upper left-hand corner as seen in Figure 2, the coil fitting in above the top-most roller I'I. Also there is no closure at the right end of the supporting plate I I and the coil may be slipped in on that side between the studs 23 and 29. The bars 22 and 21 may be tightened so as to have a frictional bearing against the coil or may merely rest upon it due to their weight and the force of gravity. The force of gravity also maintains the coil against both the lower series of rollers I6 and the left-hand series of stop rollers I'I.

With the form of construction shown, no adjustments are necessary, such as are required in the case of conventional types of reels when different sized coils are used. The coil rack is substantially self-centering since the coil moves down as it is unwound and the only rotating mass is the coil of stock itself. The construction and method of support are such as to minimize over-run of the stock on intermittent feed or pull upon the stock. There is, therefore, no danger of causing the stock to slip in the feed rolls which may take place with usual types of rotating reels and automatic feed. With such reels more than enough stock will be pulled off the coil for one stroke of the press but not enough for the second stroke and as a result in the middle of the second stroke a sharp jerk is transmitted to the coil of material.

It will be understood that the size and proportions of the parts may vary with the nature of the stock being handled and its thickness and resilience. The form of construction shown in Figure 3 may be found more suitable than the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 for use with some types of stock, such, for example, as light stock which is narrow in width.

While I have shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention these are to be understood to be illustrative only, as I contemplate such changes and modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A coil rack comprising a coil supporting plate located in a plane making an acute angle with the horizontal to receive a lateral face of a coil, coil suppporting means for the lower portion of the periphery of a coil located adjacent the lower edge of the plate and inclining downwardly toward one lateral edge of the plate, coil stop means located adjacent said lateral edge of the plate, the supporting means and stop means having an opening formed therebetween for the discharge of material from the coil, and adjustable means supporting the coil supporting plate whereby its position and angularity may be adjusted and maintained in adjusted position.

2. A coil rack comprising a coil supporting plate located in a plane making an acute angle with the horizontal to receive a lateral face of a coil, coil supporting means for the lower portion of the periphery of a coil located adjacent the lower edge of the plate and inclining downwardly toward one lateral edge of the plate, coil stop means located adjacent said lateral edge of the plate, the supporting means and stop means having an opening formed therebetween for the discharge of material from the coil, and holding means secured to the supporting plate and adapted to press a coil down against the plate.

3. A coil rack comprising a coil supporting plate located in a plane making an acute angle with the horizontal to receive a lateral face of a coil, coil supporting rollers for the lower portion of the periphery of a coil in series rotatable about axes perpendicular to the plate and located adjacent the lower edge of the plate, the series of rollers inclining downwardly toward one lateral edge of the plate, a series of coil stop rollers extending upwardly adjacent said lateral edge of the supporting plate, the lowermost stop roller being spaced from the adjacent supporting roller, and holding bars secured to the supporting plate and adapted to engage the uppermost lateral face of a coil to hold it frictionally against the plate.

4. A coil rack comprising, a flat coil supporting table mounted to have its top disposed at an acute angle with the horizontal and adapted to support a coil of material with one fiat face of the coil in frictional engagement with the flat table top, a substantially fiat guide bar overlying the table top and inclined at an angle to the horizontal, said guide bar being adapted to frictionally engage the periphery of a coil in position on the table top and hold the same against sliding off the lower edge of the table top, a stop at the lowermost end of the guide bar for holding the coil against rolling down the inclined guide bar so that the coil of material is held by gravity with its flat face frictionally engaged with the table top and its periphery engaged with the guide and the stop, there being a space between the stop and the guide bar providing for the discharge of material from the coil, and such discharge of material from the coil being resisted by the frictional engagement of the flat face of the coil with the table top and by the frictional engagement of the periphery of the coil with the guide bar.

5. A coil rack comprising, a coil supporting table having a flat top inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal so that a coil placed thereon with its fiat face against the fiat top of the supporting table tends to move by gravity toward the lower edge of the table, and cooperating coil guides for holding a coil positioned on said table top, one of said guides including a series of at least three rollers disposed in a substantially straight line, and being engageable with the periphery of the coil to limit gravity induced downward movement of the coil on the table top and said substantiallystraight line being inclined at an angle to the horizontal so that a coil on the support is maintained by gravity in a position engaging its periphery with the other of said guides, there being an opening between the guides for the discharge of material from the coil, the force of gravity on the coil establishing a substantial degree of friction between the face of the coil and the table top for resisting unwinding of the coil.

NEWTON C. 'SCHELLENGER. 

